


The Keen Mace - Dovah's Mind

by calumTraveler



Series: The Dragonbreak Puzzle [3]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 11:45:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4605483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calumTraveler/pseuds/calumTraveler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Canon to the Dovah's Mind Video Series, takes place inbetween Episodes 309 and 310. Written originally on Entering Skyrim (calskyrimjournal.wordpress.com)<br/>--------<br/>Caliborn KNEW he should have avoided that creepy house in Markarth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Keen Mace - Dovah's Mind

_"Well, this couldn't have been anything worse than I expected,"_ Caliborn griped as he and the Vigil entered the sufficiently creepy house in Markarth. It was a perfectly normal place, except... well, "Everything's BLUE! Why is it blue!? And cold. It's one of the hottest days of the year outside and yet I'm wanting longer sleeves!"

The Vigil gave the Dragonborn a strange look as he ranted on while searching the very odd house. The Vigil refused to say anything, almost as if he had no idea what to say in response to any of this.

"Seriously, half of this stuff looks like it's been abandoned for years," Caliborn continued to rant, "But why is it all BLUE!?" With that, he unslung his Pogo Hammer and whacked the lock off of a wooden chest. "There'd better be a journal in here somewhere or else I'm really going to be-"

**"YOU."**

Suddenly, the entire house grew colder as an oppressive rumble filled the house. The voice sounded Angry and very, VERY unamused.

"Oh...great," Caliborn sighed, "Giant Oppressive Voice from Above." His sylladex activated- captchaloging the Pogo Hammer, and ejecting two swords in response- Chillrend in the left hand, Dawnbreaker in the right. "Just what I needed."

"That...That sounded like a Daedric Prince!" The Vigil began to panic.

**"ANOTHER ONE OF YOU BLASTED PRIESTS HAVE COME TO DEFILE MY MACE, HAVE YOU?"** The voice asked, raging against some unknown slight against him. **"WHAT ARE YOU THIS TIME? BOETHIA? MEPHALA? WAIT, IS THAT _DAWNBREAKER_ I SEE? PLEASE TELL ME THAT YOU AREN'T WORKING FOR MERIDIA!"**

"Maybe I am, Maybe I'm not," Caliborn growled up at the roof, hoping that whoever was speaking could see the angry glare being sent their way.

"I'm a Vigil of Ste-!" The Vigil didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before the entire house shook in what seemed to be an earthquake- no, not an earthquake.

For in a single moment- a giant clawed hand burst through the roof and grabbed the Vigilant, plucking him off the ground and pulling him upwards towards his doom.

The Vigil screamed all the way, up until there was a sharp snap, and his screams were heard no more.

Caliborn, curious, peered up through the hole in the roof that SHOULD have shown another Dwemer structure- or maybe the clear skies of Skyrim...

Instead? It was nothing but a dark blue haze, with distant isles floating far above what was normally possible.

"Wheeew," Caliborn mock-whistled, "now that is... what even is that? Okay, strange omnipotent voice with the giant grabby hands.. Where am I?" He asked, challenging the speaker.

**"YOU."** And then a creepy, demonic looking face peered through the gash in the roof, speaking with mandibles and jaws, **"ARE IN COLDHARBOUR."**

"Well hello there!" Caliborn took a step backwards, surprised just a little. "You're an awfully big one, aren't you?"

The face glared at him, as if observing his very soul. Actually. That was very likely the case, given the Daedric Prince's next comment. **"YOUR SOUL... IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAVE SEEN A SOUL LIKE YOURS. NOT SINCE... THE SECOND ERA?"** The face and voice both matched tone- sounded almost amused at some past encounter. Caliborn squinted a little, and saw an ethereal name start to form thanks to an identification spell he'd picked up years before.

_**Molag Bal.**_ Great. Just Great. Absolutely great.

"Really now?" Caliborn mused, "Guess that's possible. I mean, Dragonborns were all around back then, right? They had to go extinct somehow."

**"DRAGONBORN?"** Molag Bal laughed. **"OH, THAT IS AMUSING. A DRAGONBORN DRAGONKNIGHT. THAT IS JUST LIKE MERIDIA, ISN'T IT? HIRING TWO DRAGONBORNS CENTURIES APART TO FOIL MY PLANS!"**

"Hate to break it to you but the guy you just killed was the only one who hired me to come in here," Caliborn retorted. "Meridia just gave me this sword for clearing out a temple of necromancers," He hefted Dawnbreaker to indicate it. "I haven't even spoken with her in... yeesh, almost a year now?"

The Daedric Prince chuckled dryly, **"SO IT IS SHEER LUCK THEN THAT YOU APPEARED BEFORE ME? HFM... GIVEN THAT YOU WEAR PIECES OF NOCTURNAL'S NIGHTINGALE ARMOR... I AM NOT TOO SURPRISED."**

"Uh... whatever you say, dude," Caliborn rolled his eyes. "Look, if you've got a point you want to get to, get to it please? Otherwise I'll have to finish this along." He scowled, "Seriously, You Daedric Princes sure can be long winded. At least you're not ignoring me like Herma-mora did."

**"YES, HERMAEUS CAN BE INSUFFERABLE AT TIMES, CAN'T HE?** " Molag Bal replied. **"BUT WHAT IS YOUR RUSH?"**

"Oh, nothing much, just got a World Eater to Beat." Caliborn replied, smirking faintly.

**"THE WORLD EATER... _ALDUIN?_ "** Molag Bal mused for a moment. **"HAS IT REALLY COME TO BE _THAT TIME_ ALREADY?"** And then he stepped away from the building and ordered, **"COME. I HAVE A JOB FOR ONE SUCH AS YOURSELF. DO IT, AND I SHALL LET YOU LEAVE WITH YOUR SOUL INTACT."**

"WOAHHH!" And then the entire back end of the house was torn away and thrown into the distance, revealing the vast, endless expanse that was the Plane of Oblivion known as Coldharbour. Caliborn scowled, "Geeze, flare for the dramatic much?"

There really was only one path to follow- the ground only seemed to go in one direction anyways. But Molag Bal himself seemed to have changed shapes, turning from a towering giant into a generic Daedra Warrior.

**"A PRIEST OF BOETHEIA INTRUDED INTO THE HOUSE IN MARKARTH, JUST AS YOUR VIGILANT DID."** Molag Bal narrated, motioning for the Dragonborn to follow him. **"I WAS AMUSED BY HIS ATTEMPTS TO ENTER MY REALM, AND SO I ALLOWED IT FOR A TIME... IT WAS A... _MISTAKE_."** The Prince began to walk down the path, leading towards a Dwemer Ruin in the distance. **"THAT PRIEST HELD SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE. AN ARTIFACT OF THE DWEMER'S FOOLISH ATTEMPT TO BECOME GODS."**

"Well that's not good?" Caliborn ventured. "What does this have to do with Alduin?"

**"THE PRIEST MAKES YOUR JOB IMPOSSIBLE WHILE HE HOLDS THAT ARTIFACT,"** Molag Bal explained, **"BEFORE I KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING, HE HAD FOUND THE RESTING PLACE OF MY WEAPON, MY MACE, AND HE DEFILED IT BY PLACING THAT INSUFFERABLE BLADE INTO THE MACE'S CORE!"**

"And that does... what exactly?" Caliborn asked.

**"WITH THE BLADE KEENING INSIDE, MY MACE IS NOW INTANGIBLE TO THE NORMAL RULES OF REALITY."** Molag Bal answered. **"EVEN MY OWN COMMAND OVER THE MACE HAS SLIPPED WITH THAT PRIEST HOLDING THE MACE. HE'S HOLED HIMSELF UP INSIDE THAT DWEMER RUIN-"** The Prince pointed up at the ruins. **"A RUIN THAT HE HIMSELF USED THE MACE TO DRAG INTO MY REALM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION."** Oh, he was definitely mad, Caliborn knew that instantly. **"TELL ME, DRAGONBORN. HAVE YOU HEARD OF A THING CALLED A DRAGON BREAK?"**

"Well," Caliborn pulled the book _"Where were you when the Dragon Broke?"_ out of his Sylladex. "Yeah, it's the thing where time goes all wibbly wobbly."

**"THEN YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THE _ABOMINATION_ THAT RESULTED FROM THE DWEMER'S EXPERIMENTS WAS USED IN A DRAGON BREAK BY TIBER SEPTIM HIMSELF."** Molag Bal growled. **"THAT _ABOMINATION_ WAS USED TO ATTACK THE SUMMERSET ISLES FOR ALL OF TIME, IN THE SPAN OF A SINGLE HOUR, WHERE IT THEN DISAPPEARED TO WHO KNOWS WHEN."**

"Ouch," Caliborn muttered, "No wonder the Thalmor want Talos gone."

**"THIS PRIEST WHO _DEFILED_ MY MACE SEEKS TO BRING THAT _ABOMINATION_ OUT OF THE DRAGONBREAK AND INTO MY REALM- ALL SO THAT HE CAN SLAY ME AND MANTLE MY TITLE AND POWERS AS IF I WAS _SHEOGORATH!_!!"** Molag Bal was definitely mad. Oh so mad. The sky thundered with his rage.

"So basically," Caliborn summarized, "I kill the Priest, stop him from resurrecting a monster creation of the Dwemer, and... purify your mace?"

**"NO. IT IS BEYOND RECOVERY AT THIS POINT."** Molag Bal retorted. **"I WANT YOU TO TAKE THE MACE OUT OF MY REALM AND _FEED IT DOWN ALDUIN'S GUT_ WHEN YOU CONFRONT THE GLUTTON FOR THE FINAL TIME."**

"..." Caliborn stopped in his tracks, blinking as he processed those words. "Wait... what the hell would that even DO?"

**"FOR STARTERS? IT WOULD DESTROY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE MACE SO THAT I CAN RE-SUMMON IT WHOLE AGAIN."** Molag Bal then held a finger up- countering the immediate response. **"NO. THAT IS NOT PURIFYING IT. THAT IS DESTROYING WHAT IS BROKEN AND REMAKING IT ANEW. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE."**

"...Okay I get that, but what would it do to Alduin?" Caliborn clarified.

**"I'LL BE DAMNED IF I KNOW."** Molag Bal laughed. **"IF WE ARE LUCKY? IT WILL DESTROY THE DWEMER _ABOMINATION_ AND ERASE IT ENTIRELY FROM THE HISTORY OF NIRN. MAYBE THE DWEMER WILL RECONSIDER AT THE LAST MOMENT AND BE REBORN BACK INTO THE MODERN AGE? ALTHOUGH ONE COULD CONSIDER THAT ONE A 'THAT'S THE WORST CASE' SCENARIO, HOWEVER."**

"You sound like you've met them," Caliborn noted.

**"TRUST ME. IF I COULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT THEY WOULD ATTEMPT, I WOULD HAVE SLAIN THEM AL WITH MY BARE HANDS AND ENTRAPPED THEIR SOULS FOR ALL ETERNITY WITHIN MY REALM."** He snarled. **"MAYBE IF I HAD DONE THAT, THEN MY PLANEMELD PLAN BACK IN THE SECOND ERA WOULD HAVE WORKED OUT. POWERED BY THE SOULS OF THE IDIOTIC DWEMER RATHER THAN THE HEROIC SOULS OF NIRN'S WARRIORS."**

"Out of curiosity," Caliborn ventured a question, "when exactly DID Tiber Septim use this Dwemer Monster thing compared to that?"

**"WOULDN'T _YOU_ LIKE TO KNOW?"** Molag Bal sneered at the Dragonborn.

"Alright, alright, I get the point," Calibron rolled his eyes and decided to change the subject. "So... what's mantling, and why does this guy want to do it?"

**"MANTLING IS WHEN A MORTAL ASCENDS TO THE POWERS OF A DAEDRIC PRINCE, OR THOSE 'GOODEY TWO SHOES' DIVINES THE EMPIRE SEEMS SO FOND OF WORSHIPING."** Molag Bal spat on the ground. **"TIBER SEPTIM'S ASCENSION TO TALOS IS SIMILAR TO THE MANTLING PROCESS, ALTHOUGH UNIQUE IN THAT THERE WAS NEVER A TALOS BEFORE TIBER SEPTIM BECAME HIM. EIGHT DIVINES BECOMING NINE, AND SUCH."**

"You mentioned Sheogorath?" Caliborn asked.

**"AT THE CLOSURE OF THE OBLIVION CRISIS, THE CHOSEN HERO OF THE TIME- MUCH LIKE YOURSELF IN CERTAIN RESPECTS- SLAYED SHEOGORATH IN COMBAT AND MANTLED HIS TITLE AND APPEARANCE... AS WELL AS ALL OF HIS POWERS AND PERSONALITY."** Molag Bal paused, and then said, **"I SUPPOSE YOU COULD SUMMARIZE IT AS ACTING EXACTLY LIKE A PERSON SO MUCH THAT YOU PARADOXICALLY BECOME THAT PERSON."**

"Huuuh," Caliborn blinked as he processed that information, and then said, "Seems like a pretty stupid idea to me. Who want to become the ruler of an entire plane of Oblivion?" He shook his head, "I'm freaked out just by the Thieves guild wanting me to become their Guild Master. Listener of the Dark Brotherhood? I can go out and adventure all I want so long as I just hand out a few contracts here and there. Killing people is easy. Leading them is a whole 'nother story."

**"AH, IT IS RARE THAT A MORTAL HAS SPOKEN TO ME WITH SUCH FIRM DEDICATION..."** Molag Bal laughed. **"I SEE THAT DESPITE THE MANY THREADS OF INFLUENCE PUSHING YOU ALONG TOWARDS YOUR DESTINY, YOU SHEER THE ONES THAT YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE USED BY."**

"If someone asks me for help, I'll give it, but I'm not going to lead an army to war," Caliborn shook his head. "Hell, the only reason I haven't flung a fireball at you yet is because I know you want me to come out of this alive."

**"THAT YOU WOULD ADMIT THAT SHOWS A COURAGE THAT MANY DO NOT BEFORE MY PRESENCE. YOU REFUSE TO SUBMIT. THAT IS INTERESTING... THAT IS JUST THE PERSON I NEED TO DESTROY THIS PEST OF A PRIEST."** Molag Bal nodded. **"FOR A PERSON WHO REJECTS DESTINY CAN REJECT THE VERY FABRIC OF REALITY."**

Caliborn wasn't sure why Molag Bal went silent after that, but, truthfully, he was appreciative of the quiet after the constant booming voice that had been assaulting his ears. Well, went silent until they reached the Dwemer Fortress, at least.  


* * *

 

_**The Dwemmer Ruin -- Showing only on the Magic Map as "KrBrtrhzrRrrk" in a series of mangled, daedric runes--**_ was a massive place spearing the dark blue clouds above with a single tower that was glowing with strange energies, and seemed to be surrounded by a strange, static-like texture.

"So, how do we get in?" Caliborn asked.

**"I DO NOT. _YOU_ , HOWEVER..."** Molag Bal's voice shifted from behind Caliborn to above him in an instant, even as a giant hand grabbed reached around and-

"WOAAHA!" Caliborn cried out as Molag Bal picked him up off the ground- reared back, and-- "I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIIIIIIISSSSSS!!!" --threw him at the top of the tower.

Mid-flight- Caliborn did only one thing- threw as many fireball mortars as he could straight at the wall he was most definitely going to hit.

**BANG BANG BANG!**

The Wall crumbled in an instant, and Caliborn came crashing to a halt against a destroyed Dwemer Centurion- one that looked positively ancient and made in a style unlike the ones he'd encountered in Skyrim.

The Dragonborn sighed in releif as he picked himself up from the wall rubble and dwemer parts. "Well, I guess you weren't expecting that, were you?"

He'd wound up in a stairwell, one that he should follow upwards to the top floor. Going down was a very bad idea- as the stairs seemed to have crumbled away- or broken off- thanks to the explosives he'd flung at the wall.

"Guess the only way to go is up."

And so Caliborn walked.

The Dwemer Spiders and Spheres inside this particular ruin were different as well- the spiders were larger, boxier, and did not leap at people whenever they had a chance- and the speheres had some strange ground rumbling attack that Caliborn quickly learned how to dodge.

"SCREW YOU!" he blasted his way up the tower with fireballs.

The Dwemer constructs didn't know what hit them.

Caliborn put his Nightingale skills to good use once he reached the top floor- which was dominated by a giant gear platform- thankfully not spinning- for a floor.

Standing in the center of it all was the Priest of Boetheia, waving around the source of all of this like it was a magic wand- the very obviously corrupted Mace of Molag Bal, glowing a bright blue, appearing partially transparent, and, oh, yeah, seemed to be pulsing out waves of that static energy that surrounded the tower.

"HEhehe..." The Priest giggled, rather insanely. "Soon I will become Molag Bal, and then Mistress Boetheia will fall madly in love with me for my deviousness!"

Caliborn stared blankly as he heard this, then muttered to himself, "Really? Really. He's doing all of this so he can date a Daedric Prince? What a freaking idiot!" Caliborn shook his head, "Well, as long as you're distracted..." the Priest's waving arm looked gashed up by blades- probably from a Dwemer Centurion or a Sphere- and his grip on the Mace was positively weak- only one hand on the mace's rather long handle, near the base rather than further up. Caliborn breathed in- **"Zuuuu..."** and then shouted: _**"HAAL!"**_

The Priest didn't know what hit him until the Mace of Moalg Bal went flying out of his hand and slammed into a lever mounted on the opposite wall before landing on the gear platform.

That lever, as it so happened, triggered the gear floor's spinning.

"DAMN IT!" Caliborn swore as everything started spinning,  and the Priest started throwing flames at him.

"You won't stop me! I'LL WIN HER HEART! NOT YOU!!!" The Priest yelled, insanely.

"WHY WOULD I WANT IT!?" Caliborn shot back as he drew Chrysamere and blocked the flames with its ward spell.

"You won't stop me!" The Priest repeated, flinging an ice spear at Caliborn.

"GRRR!" Caliborn dodge-rolled to the side- **"KRII!"**

The Shout hit the Priest, stunning him for a moment.

**"TIID!"** And then time slowed for Caliborn before he ran across the spinning gear platform- not at the Priest, but for the Mace of Molag Bal that was getting dangerously close to being knocked off of the gear platform by some protruding pipe. If the gear fell between the gear and the wall...!

Time resumed but for a second-  _**"NO! THE MACE!!** _ YOU CAN'T HA--~"

**"TIID!"** Caliborn slid across the spinning gear, reaching for the mace...!

"Vvvvvvvvveeeeee..." The priest's voice slowed.

"GOTCHA!" Caliborn swiped the Mace up into his Sylladex before it was chewed up by the spinning gears.

"--IITTT!!!" The Priest yelled as time resumed once more.

"Yeah, too late for that," Caliborn smirked, and then- _ **"FUS RO DAH!"**_ The Priest went flying into a wall- and before he could react much beyond shaking his head out- _**"WULD NAH KEST!"**_

Caliborn came flying in- Pogo Hammer Swinging downwards on a crushing arc--

_**SPRINNGGGG!** _

Unfortunately for the priest- this action flattened him into the ground- and his cloak was caught in the gap between the wall and the spinning floor's gear notches.

"GRK!!!" And then everything ground to a halt as the cloak began to choke not only the Priest, but also the spinning floor.

"And now-" Caliborn drew his fireball spell- "It's time for you... to... to choke on... uh..." He let out a cry of annoyance- "Aw forget it!"- and with that, he threw the fireball straight into the choking Priest's face.

_**BABOOOOOOM!!!** _

The Priest was dead. Caliborn nodded at a job well done and turned to leave when, suddenly, static filled the air as the Dwemer Ruins suddenly began to destabilize, and then...!

**SLAM- _THUD_.**

"GRAAAHH... What tha....!?" Caliborn found himself standing outside the doors to the house in Markarth, nursing a mighty large headache, and completely forgetting that he had a powerful, time bending artifact lying in wait in his Sylladex for just one single purpose.

**Author's Note:**

> Written to replace the Molag Bal Mace quest in the Video Series, which you won't be seeing there because I wrote the story HERE! :D


End file.
